F*** the Diet! Unilever oops?
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Well, I am kind of left speechless by this one. You need to watch the German TV ad first, then read my piece – hopefully it’s self-explanatory.
[Unfortunately for those of us with a sense of humour the video has been removed so you can no longer watch. Sadly I have not been able to find a version from another source. However I am sure that the campaign will live on in legend.]
Transcreation: a picture paints a thousand words
By Gordon Husbands | International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
Is it possible to combine transcreation with a Christmas theme and create an entertaining pastime?
Well I hope so, because that is exactly what we have tried to do this year. I am a great believer in using real transcreation examples when discussing the finer points of international marketing communications and culture. So that is why we have incorporated some common idioms into our Christmas 2011 challenge.
We all use clichés and idiom everyday, peppering our normal conversation with metaphors and sayings. This is a common human trait and indeed an inherent aspect of the evolution of language. How often do you hear phrases like “let’s suck it and see” or “let’s throw mud at the wall and see what sticks“. Never? Then what about “finding a needle in a haystack” or ” a snowball in hell“? Read more
Fiat 500 Abarth – sometimes there’s no need for transcreation
By Gordon Husbands | International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
Click to watch Fiat 500 Seduction
This high-trending viral ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth needs absolutely no translation, even though the monologue is in Italian. The target demographic is very clearly boys. Entitled “You’ll never forget the first time you see one “, the ad plays on every heterosexual young man’s fantasy, and probably the nostalgic older man’s as well.
The buzz started mid-week on 14th November, peaking on the 17th but not tailing off until the weekend. What is really interesting is how this buzz was reflected in language, as can be seen in this graphic.
Transcreation – Gordon’s Guidelines
By Gordon Husbands | International marcoms, marketing translation, Transcreation | No comment yet
Now that needs transcreation!
In my company – Wordbank – and many other places, real transcreation is quietly going on every day, often unheralded. However, it is not a mass-market offering that should be applied to every marketing or advertising campaign element every time. Certainly it should not be confused with or applied interchangeably with what tends to be called ‘marketing translation’ or even with ‘translation’.
The lighter side of transcreation
By Gordon Husbands | Transcreation | No comment yet
Gone tweeting…
You can be creative and
funnyBrowsing Twitter
feeds to see if transcreation was
a subject that was generating
any interesting debate
or insight, I was
quickly disappointed. Was I
expecting too much of
the micro-blogosphere?
Yes, there is a #transcreation tag and a #copywriter, but it didn’t take much effort to find out how boring and repetitive said transcreation tweets were. Well, the ones that I could find.
Surely if lawyers are connected to the law and tennis professionals to tennis, the transcreative people should be, well, sort of CREATIVE? A modicum of creativity, innovation or even imagination?
Don’t we owe it to the world to practise what we preach?
With barely a second’s hesitation I sent out the call, and lo! a hero emerged from the depths of the blogosphere. There is a small but hopefully not lone outpost of creativity attached to transcreation.
Get thee to Twitter and follow @eltcblogger; and #transcreationjokesfor a bit of a larf!
Here’s one to get you started:
“Hear about the dyslexic who thought
transcreation was an art director with
gender issues? Boom boom!”
Transcreation: just good customer service?
By Gordon Husbands | Conquest, Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | 2 responses so far
Over recent months there has been a rush by translation companies to jump on the ‘transcreation bandwagon’ and even a few blog posts calling it a new service or just spouting dubious sales-speak. But surely the question of when to transcreate versus translate is really more about what level of customer service we want to deliver in which country or to what target audience?
Firstly, the word ‘transcreation’ – it’s not new
At Wordbank we have been providing this service since the mid ’90s – our Conquest™ service was launched in 1997 specifically to offer a better way of adapting creative copy to different local markets. Indeed, I first heard the term back in 1996. It was coined by a European advertising agency executive laboriously making a point about how marketing should be properly adapted rather than just translated.
Transcreation downtime in Sicily
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
I am fortunate to have spent the past week or so on holiday near Syracuse, on the eastern coast of Sicily. The weather has been very changeable, but far from chilly. What is staggering is that along with the sun, sea, sand and tourists, you are surrounded, everywhere you turn, by ancient history. The evidence of past civilizations is ubiquitous. Crossing the bridge into Ortygia, the original Greek island settlement of Syracuse, you virtually fall straight into the Temple of Apollo. Well, what’s left of it. Turn around and cast your eyes upwards and you see the Greek Theatre, the foundations of the huge, sacrificial altar of Hieron II (241BC onwards) and, finally, the impressive Roman Amphitheatre.
Cheesiest Bin Laden bandwagon of the day
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just how cheesy is this?
I received an email on Tuesday 5 May from a British company called Corpdata aiming to sell me B2B marketing lists with the headline: “Accurate data killed Osama bin Laden (helped by US Special Forces)”.
A tenuous link at best and definitely a case of jumping on the nearest and most recent bandwagon. Cheese aside, does it work from a marketing perspective?
On the one hand, I laud the speed of response and yes, the targeting is correct. But on the other hand, how can I take it seriously? The Roquefort quotient is only increased when you note the company’s name – Corpdata. Or should that be ‘Corpsedata‘? Ouch!
The revenge of the Spanish punter
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Throughout history, many Mediterranean countries have gained a reputation for unnecessary and convoluted bureaucracy – much to the chagrin of the naive and vulnerable foreigner.
However, if you thought that all the ‘locals’ are happy and willing to participate in the form filling, jobs-for-the-indolent game you would be wrong.
007 takes a walk on the wild side
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Maybe this article is more transgender than transcreation, but then it is international women’s day today.
At Wordbank we have been tweeting since yesterday on how to congratulate the ladies in your life in the relevant local language. As many readers will know, today in Russia is a day of flowers, presents and congratulations to mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties etc. Much as the celebrations will vary country-by-country, relative to the local history and culture, similarly the lifestyle, rights and expectations of women will vary depending on where they live.
Suffice to say that attitudes to women vary significantly across globe.
Today, however, is a good opportunity for we men to consider for a moment the realities of life as women.
